News
Ammodo Doc Dancing on the Ruins about Mounira Al Solh on NPO 2
The short documentary Dancing on the Ruins about visual artist Mounira Al Solh will be broadcast by NTR on NPO 2 on 12 June 2025 at 15.20 hours. The film is part of the Ammodo Docs series.
Director Bibi Fadlalla, known for such films as Generation Pa (2024) and the Gouden Kalf-nominated short film The Women of My Land (2020) about Raquel van Haver, has made a short documentary about Lebanese-Dutch visual artist Mounira Al Solh for Ammodo Docs.
Dancing on the Ruins shows how Al Solh builds a multifaceted and playfully activist body of work. Through textiles, ceramics, installations, video and paintings, the artist creates a colorful universe in which she blends personal stories with ancient myths and musical traditions. For Al Solh, making art is her lifeline: a way to ‘resist the feeling that we are doomed.’
On 6 June 2025, the Bonnefanten opened a retrospective of Mounira Al Solh’s work, on view until 11 January 2026. The exhibition will also feature Dancing on the Ruins on screen. The film shows Al Solh working on pieces which are on view in the museum. The exhibition is supported by Ammodo Art.
This summer, NTR broadcasts the complete film catalogue of Ammodo Docs. Sixteen films are shown weekly on NPO 2 and then on NPO Start. A second previously unseen film is scheduled for 28 August 2025: The Storm Within by Marjoleine Boonstra, a short documentary about prominent theatre director and ITA artistic director Eline Arbo.
In Memoriam: Pierre Audi (1957–2025)
With great sadness, we mark the sudden and unexpected passing of Pierre Audi, a visionary force in the world of opera and music theatre.
Born in Beirut and educated in Lebanon, France and the UK, Audi’s perspective and influence were truly global in scope. Known for his imaginative and bold renderings of both classical and contemporary works, his career was defined by an uncompromising belief in the power of music theatre and opera.
Pierre Audi was more than a successful stage director. As founding director of the Almeida Theatre and later the artistic director of the Dutch National Opera (1988-2018), Holland Festival (2005-2014), Park Avenue Armory (2015-2025) and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (2018-2025) he was an inspiration and an ambassador for the artform as a whole and a defining voice in contemporary performing arts.
Audi has been a close and long-standing partner of Ammodo. Ammodo has always supported his mission to strengthen contemporary opera in his various roles and has contributed to the production of several of his performances. In 2024, Ammodo released Three Acts, a short documentary about his work directed by Marjoleine Boonstra.
He will be dearly missed by the international artistic community and all who were moved by his work.
Join Ammodo Docs at InScience
On Thursday, March 13, from 18:45 to 20:15, we celebrate the release of three brand-new Ammodo Docs with the program Shorts on Scientists Shaping the Future at InScience, where they will compete in the festival competition.
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The program includes screenings of the films, followed by Q&A sessions with the directors and scientists.
Moderator: Luuk Heezen | Tickets: InScience
Ammodo Docs launch in Eye Filmmuseum
On 15 October 2024, Ammodo Docs launched four brand new films in Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. The festive event included screenings of Dear Home of Scars, Northern Winds, Three Acts and Moonshot Mission as well as Q&As with directors and film characters.
In the following week, all documentaries were broadcast on Dutch national television.
Many thanks to all present and to all who collaborated in creating these documentaries.
As of today all four documentaries are permanently available to watch online on our website or on YouTube.
Click here to see some photos from the event.
Nicole Beutler: “We’ll have to adapt, and that’s OK.”
Exeter Dance International Film Festival (EDIFF) 2023 has come to an end after screening a wide range of dance-related films, including Eyes Wide Open by Floris-Jan van Luyn, which portrays the artistic works of choreographic theatre artist Nicole Beutler.
EDIFF spoke to Beutler about the film, her artistic drive and her ways of remaining positive in spite of a dramatically changing climate. “All the news we receive daily is extremely devastating and produces fear of something terrible ahead of us. However, I am a mother, too, and I feel the necessity to use my imagination to think further.”
Ammodo Docs on Festival Tour
Since its premiere at Go Short Nijmegen, Ammodo Docs has garnered international acclaim. At Silbersalz, Europe’s foremost science film festival, the first season of Ammodo Docs has been nominated for Best Short Science Series. And at the Australian SCINEMA International Science Film Festival, The Underground Astronaut won the award for Best Short Film! This film about the groundbreaking and widely acclaimed fungus researcher Toby Kiers was directed by Marleine van der Werf. In this article from Cosmos Magazine, a science journal, you can read the jury’s report.
All Ammodo Docs films have been selected for one or more international festivals, including the St. Louis International Film Festival (USA), Bolton International Film Festival (UK), Exeter Dance International Film Festival (UK), and On Art (Poland).
Ammodo Docs season one is now free to watch online from the Netherlands. Worldwide release to be announced. Meanwhile, production for season two is in full swing.
Toby Kiers wins Spinoza Prize 2023
Congratulations! Toby Kiers is one of the two winners of the prestigious Spinoza Prize 2023, awarded by NWO, the most important science funding body of the Dutch government.
Kiers receives €1.5 million for her research into mycorrhizal fungal networks and their role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
In the words of the selection committee: ‘With her unique pioneering contribution to the theory, she has drawn the world’s attention to this field of research and in the process her work also has enormous social impact.’
Read the jury report here.
The Spinoza Prize will be awarded on 4 October 2023.
Ammodo Docs launch in Eye Filmmuseum
On 17 April 2023, Ammodo Docs launched its first season in Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam. The festive event included screenings of In Between Realities, Dimension of Absence and Moving Mountains as well as Q&As with directors and film characters, and a special dance performance by choreographer Nicole Beutler.
In the following week, all documentaries were broadcast on Dutch national television.
Many thanks to all present and to all who collaborated in creating these documentaries.
As of 25 April 2023, all seven documentaries are permanently available to watch online on our website or on YouTube.
Click here to see some photos from the event.
Ammodo Docs premiere at Go Short
It was a joyous moment to say the least, when on 7 April 2023 Ammodo Docs premiered at Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen!
After a long buildup, all seven films from the first season were finally shown on the big screen. The premiere was organised in collaboration with Go Short. After the screening, Ammodo Docs welcomed the press, industry professionals, crewmembers and invited guests to a drink at the festival pavilion in front of the LUX cinema.
In the festival’s finale weekend, all Ammodo Docs films were shown again as part of the regular festival programming.
Click here to see some photos from the premiere.